NEW YORK (AP) – Didi Gregorius peered over his face mask as his Washington ace puck Max Scherzer sailed to empty seats in the garden.
False applause, meant to cheer on the hometown Nationals, accidentally passed through the stadium when the Philadelphia Phillies shortstop circled the bases. After touching the plate, he made air pantomimes to his teammates.
“This is baseball 2020,” said Scherzer. “Hug her and have fun with her.”
Exhibition games in Washington, New York and Pittsburgh on Saturday gave Major League Baseball its first glimpse of the games from the coronavirus era: cardboard cutouts for fans, sound effects for crowds, and more. Still, for clubs limited to practices and intrasquads in their own stadiums for the past two weeks, Saturday became a major mile marker as the sport tries to start a shortened 60-game season next Thursday amid a pandemic. .
“In some ways, this is very much a dress rehearsal for the new world we are in,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before an exhibition at the city Mets.
No fans ran out of the 7th train in Flushing at Citi Field, and no crowd rushed across Clement Bridge in Pittsburgh, not with MLB planning to start this season rocked by a pandemic in empty stadiums. In the National Park, several people observed from the balcony of a building beyond the wall of the left field.
Referees wore face masks, as did some players. Backups observed from the stands to maintain social distance in the shelters. They all tried to follow security protocols, including a ban on licking their fingers or spitting.
Another new look: The Mets became the first club to sell ad space on the field, spraying a Ford logo on the back of the pitcher’s mound.
Gregorius hit a three-run homer in the first inning in Washington, a player’s first big play in any of Saturday’s games.
The 30-year-old Phillies newcomer is one of the few players who has said he will wear a full-time mask this season. Gregorius has a chronic kidney disorder that makes him high risk for the coronavirus.
Scherzer is expected to launch the first pitch of the regular season when the Nats host new ace Gerrit Cole and the Yankees on Thursday night. The right-hander struggled in his final set-up, also allowing a three-run shot at former teammate Bryce Harper.
Booed willingly last season after rejecting Washington in free agency, Harper didn’t hear such taunts this time.
For their first exhibition game since the virus outbreak closed spring training in mid-March, Yankees players took a team bus from the Bronx to Queens to meet the Mets – there’s no subway for this series.
The pregame routine seemed pretty familiar: a great hitting home run by Giancarlo Stanton and Pete Alonso, ball work for Gleyber Torres and Robinson Canó.
The signs of the times were certainly there. Some coaches hit fungoes with face masks, and the usual clashes and hugs between opponents around the batting cage were replaced by elbow punches and distanced chats, including one between Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and his counterpart from the Mets Brodie Van Wagenen.
With no fans showing up for the first pitch, nearly 1,000 cardboard figures of Mets supporters were created behind the plate. The team plans to have 5,000 in place by opening day.
Reserve players observed from under large awnings built behind both shelters. The Mets’ backups gave a cheer to scheduled starter Rick Porcello as he returned from the bullpen, then began a chant of “Come on, Mets!”
The first home run in Flushing also came from a masked player: Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier. The 25-year-old, who says he has been criticized on social media for his decision to cover his face at all times, drove a two-run homer to the second deck in the fourth inning.
The Cleveland Indians loaded three buses on Saturday for the more than 2-hour trip to Pittsburgh. Manager Terry Francona said the team adhered to social distance guidelines, and staggered arrival times, for the team’s first trip since the camp reopened.
“I think it is a good experience for all of us,” he said. “We’re not used to getting on a bus and taking the temperature and things like that, so it’s good to go through that.”
Cleveland demonstrated publicly in support of social justice ahead of their 5-3 victory, standing with their right hands over their hearts and their left hands on the right shoulder of their teammates during the national anthem.
Some fans gathered outside PNC Park, hoping to catch some sort of game action.
Michael Kirkpatrick, 73, and his son, Zac, stood on Clemente Bridge beyond center field, the same place they huddled shoulder-to-shoulder during the 2013 National League wild card game. trouble finding a place.
“I just need to hear a bat hit a ball,” Zac said.
In Washington, a moment of silence was kept for civil rights pioneer John Lewis. Players distanced themselves socially from the national anthem, an acoustic rendition of the U.S. Army’s Brass Quintet performed prior to Game 4 of last year’s World Series and played on the video scoreboard.
“It definitely has a different feeling,” said Nationals center fielder Michael A. Taylor.
Post-game handshake lines also had a change. The Yankees collided with each other outside the shelter after finishing a 9-3 win, and Cleveland celebrated their victory by tapping their toes with their teammates.
NO CANADA
The Blue Jays were denied approval. by the Canadian government to play in Toronto due to the required cross-border travel.
As for where he could play games at home, the team has been looking at its spring training site in Dunedin, Florida, one of the states hardest hit by the virus, and its Triple-A site in Buffalo.
The Blue Jays are slated to start the season on July 24 at Tampa Bay. Their first game was set for five days later against Washington.
BACK TO CAMP
A pair of All-Stars remain unsure for opening day after missing the start of summer camp due to positive coronavirus testing: Freddie Freeman of Atlanta and DJ LeMahieu of the Yankees.
Freeman was at Truist Park on Friday about an hour after receiving his second negative test for the coronavirus, earning him medical clearance to return. On Saturday, the four-time All-Star revealed that it had a high temperature of 104.5 degrees at first and was afraid of losing its life.
“I said a little prayer that night,” Freeman said.
LeMahieu participated in his first practice on Friday after testing positive at his Michigan home last month. The three-time Gold Glove winner said it was “shocking” to get the result because he had no symptoms.
___
AP sports writers Will Graves and Howard Fendrich and Associated Press writer Rob Gillies contributed to this report.
___
Follow Jake Seiner: https://twitter.com/Jake_Seiner
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
.
